One Breath Away
by On The Way
Summary: Because he didn't know. Because she didn't say. Because they're both stupid.
1. Chapter 1

"You only have at most five months left to live." The doctor flipped the paper on her clipboard. "Your only hope for survival or extended time is chemotherapy. It's not too late for you yet." She looked up, waiting for a response.

Amu looked down at her hands. It was the same thing every time. They always tried to convince her to take the chemotherapy. "No thanks."

The doctor, Amaya, sighed. "Honestly Amu, you should take this opportunity before it's too late. I don't get why you won't do it! Some people who are near the brink of deaths _want_ this chemotherapy! And you won't even take it!" She shook her head. "What are we going to do with you, Amu?"

Amu just smiled. "I'm sorry. But I would rather live the rest of my life as I am now… I would be happy do die this way." She paused. "Besides, there's someone… and I don't want to have my hair falling out." She laughed lightly.

Amaya sighed. "Amu, this is your _life_ we're talking about here! Don't laugh about it like it's nothing. How can you care about your hair at this point? Can you just let this chance slip by? Do you understand that-"

"That I'm going to die?" Amu smiled. "Yes, I get it." She closed her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder what it would feel like. Would it hurt when I'm about to leave?" She opened her eyes again and smiled at Amaya. "I know Momma is waiting for me up there. I just feel bad about leaving behind Papa and Ami…"

Amaya stared at Amu. That girl was really something. On the brink of death she was just thinking about how it would feel. And in the very end, she still cared about other people and still put them before her.

"Hey, have you watched The Bucket List?" Amu giggled. "I wanna do that." She smiled widely. "I should start making my own bucket list shouldn't I?"

Amaya shook her head. "Oh, Amu." She patted her on the head. "You wouldn't need a bucket list if you took the chemotherapy. Think about it okay?"

Amu smiled. "I will." She hopped off the chair and waved at Amaya before disappearing out the door.

"Jeez, that girl…"


	2. Chapter 2

"So, did anything interesting happen?" Utau looked up at her best friend, who was currently flipping the page of a magazine idly.

They were both in Utau's room just flipping through some magazines and hanging out, just doing whatever they felt like doing. It was the Friday sleepover that they usually had. Both of them were lying on the big bed.

Amu looked up at Utau as she flipped another page. "Mm… not really." Amu cast the magazine aside and rolled onto her back. Amu had never told Utau about her cancer. If she did, Utau might overreact. She did about most things, so what was stopping her from overreacting about this? Besides, she didn't want to make Utau worry about her. She wanted things to stay as they were for a while before she told everyone about the cancer, let it be peaceful for just a bit longer.

If there was anything she was going to miss when she left it would be Utau's room, or maybe her whole house. It wasn't that Amu didn't like her own home, she loved it. Her family had never been rich, they had just enough money to get by. Her house was small and cozy. But Utau's family was rich. Her house was huge, you could even call it a mansion. It was like something out of a fairytale story. Utau's room was painted a purple color and her huge bed had matching purple sheets. Everything in the house looked more beautiful, more elegant. Amu was going to make sure she had this place engraved into her memory before she left. She was snapped out of her daydreams by Utau's voice.

"So how was the dentist yesterday?" Utau, too, rolled onto her back. She grabbed a bag of mini cookies and tore them open, offering the bag to Amu before getting some for herself. "Anything wrong with your teeth?"

Amu laughed. "No." She obviously couldn't tell Utau that she was actually at the doctor's for her cancer appointment so she made up that lie. She was guilty about it, but it would definitely be better if she didn't know about it yet.

"Hmm." Utau tapped the bed and sat up. "I hate going to the dentist. There's never anything wrong with my teeth, but they insist that I should have a checkup regularly." She looked over at her calendar. "Hey Amu, want to go shopping on Monday? You can bring Ami along if you want to."

"Sure." Amu smiled. "We haven't gone shopping in a while."

Utau grinned. "There's definitely nothing wrong with your teeth." She flopped back down onto her bed and stared at the ceiling.

Amu stared at the ceiling too. She knew it was weird, but she appreciated these moments of silence. With Utau, there was never an awkward silence between them. They would just lie there on the bed, thinking about whatever and it was totally fine with them.

Amu looked over at her best friend, making sure to remember everything about her. Her long blond hair tied up into double ponytails and amethyst eyes. The dreamy look she got on her face whenever she talked about her boyfriend. What a great singer she was. At first impression, Utau would seem like a person who never cared about anything, but once you get to know her you find out that it's not true. Utau was the best friend she could ever have.

"What's wrong? Admiring my beauty?" Utau turned toward Amu, noticing her stares, and raised an eyebrow at her.

Amu laughed. "Yeah." And that was actually the truth. She admired a lot about Utau. Utau was strong and confident. You could even see it in the way she walked.

Utau just laughed too and sat up, stretching out her arms.

There was a soft tap on the door before it was opened.

"Yo Utau, did you take all the snacks again?"

Amu sat up and her eyes immediately flew over to the bearer of that amazing voice. Standing there at the doorway in all his glory was the one and only - Ikuto Tsukiyomi.

Those mesmerizing blue eyes that she could stare into forever. Those soft looking locks of blue hair that she wished to run her hands through. Those hands she wished to hold as she walked by his side. And it probably sounded weird, but she thought he looked huggable. Like a human cat.

Utau rolled her eyes while Amu's eyes were glued to Ikuto the whole time. "Yeah, you want some? Cause you have to get it yourself." She gestured to the snacks on her bed.

Ikuto walked over to Utau's bed and grabbed a couple bags. He looked over at Amu, who's eyes still have not left him yet. "Yo." Without waiting for a reply he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Hey…" Amu was more than ten seconds late. She was still staring at the door until Utau coughed for her attention.

"Ogle my brother much?" Utau smirked at her best friend before popping a mini cookie into her mouth. "Seriously, if you want him that bad then just tell him." She flipped a page of another magazine before looking back up at Amu. "You could be my sister in law."

Amu blushed. "I wish… He probably doesn't even know my name…" She closed her eyes and sighed. She had developed feelings for him four years ago, before she even knew that he was related to her best friend. And ever since she saw him more because of Utau, she fell for him more and more. Amu was in _love_ with him. Badly.

Utau rolled her eyes. "He at least knows you as the girl that ogles him."

"Hey!"

"Kidding, kidding." Utau grinned. "Not." She laughed as Amu threw a pillow at her.

"W-well…" Amu looked down. "I-I'll tell him someday." _Definitely before I die…_ She felt a sharp pain in her stomach and gasped. "I have to use the bathroom." She ran out of the room and into the bathroom, closing the door and collapsing on the floor clutching her side. She breathed heavily and tried to gain her breath again. _Calm thoughts, calm thoughts._ She thought of Ikuto and her holding hands and immediately felt soothed. She hurried and flushed the toilet. She washed her hands and left. If she was gone for too long then Utau might get suspicious of something.

* * *

Utau hummed as she looked through her magazine. Amu was gone longer than usual. She sat up on her bed and noticed a piece of paper sticking out of Amu's bag. _This is…?_ She picked it up and gasped at the two words in bold.

**Diagnosis: Cancer**


	3. Chapter 3

"So, what are we going to do for the rest of the night?" Amu smiled at Utau. It was currently only 8 PM and they usually stayed up to at least 12 AM the next day. It was a weekend after all, so they might as well enjoy it.

"Hmm…" Utau stared off into space, deep in her own thoughts. The word played over and over in her head. _Cancer. Cancer. Cancer. Cancer. Someone has cancer._ Was it Amu's father? Ami? She never got a chance to read the name of the patient because Amu was returning from the bathroom. She looked over at Amu who looked so happy. How could she be so happy when someone in her family was dying? Utau knew how important family was to Amu.

"Utau, are you okay?"

Shouldn't she be the one to ask that? Utau took a deep breath and looked at Amu. She started slowly. "Amu, we've been best friends for more than five years now." She looked up at Amu's face for a reaction before continuing on. "And you know you can trust me about anything. Is there something you want to… tell me? Get off your chest?" She looked at Amu expectantly, waiting for her to break down and confess everything.

Amu looked at Utau for a long time. "What is there to tell you?" She gasped. "F-fine! I have a picture of your brother… b-but I-I swear it's nothing bad!" She blushed. "I-I thought you knew about that too and-"

"Not that." Utau's voice was sharp and she surprised both Amu and herself. She let out a deep breath. "Sorry. But… I know about it. The cancer. I saw the paper in your bag." She looked up at Amu's shocked face. "But you know I'll be with you the whole entire way. Who is it? Is it your father? Or Ami?" There was uncertainty visible in Amu's face as she thought it over. Utau waited for a reply.

Amu looked down for a second. This was the moment of truth. Utau knew that her mother had died from cancer, and that's why she thought it must be tough for her. But if she already found out about it, there was no use in keeping it a secret from her any longer. "Me."

Utau just stared at her dumbly. "What?" She had definitely heard wrong.

"It's me. I have the cancer." Amu looked up at Utau's shocked face. She laughed. "It's nothing Utau. The doctor said I have five months left to live. That's a pretty long time if you ask me. Mama only had three months left."

"Amu." Utau tried to keep her voice even. "How can you take this so lightly? Five months… is a little time no matter how much you think about it!"

Amu laughed. "You should like Dr. Amaya when you say those things. But it's fine." Utau's glare told her that it wasn't fine, and Amu looked down.

"But Amu… why didn't you tell me?" Utau stared at her friend. Was she untrustworthy? Why did she not want to tell her about something this important? Her best friend's life was limited, and she didn't even _tell_ her about it. No matter how she thought about it, it just didn't make sense to her. Did Amu mean to keep it a secret from her? "What if… I didn't find the paper? Would you have told me about it?"

"Of course I would!" Amu looked away. "Just not… yet. Not now."

"But _why_ not? Why wouldn't you tell me about something so important? Something as important as your _life_."

Amu took a deep breath and looked up at her best friend. "That's why I didn't really want to tell you," she said quietly. She looked up at Utau. "I didn't want you to worry… I-I didn't even tell Papa or Ami yet. I just… don't know _how_ to." Her lower lip trembled. "I-I want to be strong for them. I don't want to tell them because I _know_ I will break down. And Ami… she's only five. She knows Mama died from cancer…" A tear slipped down her cheek.

Utau wrapped her arms around Amu. "Shh, it's okay…" She swallowed the lump in her throat. She felt a bit guilty for pressuring her friend now. She had just wanted to protect her from the horrible truth for a while, that's all. She didn't know how to open her mouth about it, and Utau had still pressured her. "I'll be there for you, okay?" Her own tears fell as she sniffled. She had never thought about death before, never mind the death of her best friend.

"I-I know. Thank you."

Utau sniffled and grabbed her friend into a huge hug. It was the least she could do, be there for her best friend in times of need.

* * *

"Oh god, he died!" Amu wailed. She sniffled. "U-Utau, pass me the tissues?"

"H-here." Utau grabbed a couple of tissues before passing the box over to Amu. She dabbed at her eyes and blew her nose. "And everyone's waiting for him to come out alive!" Tears streaked down her cheeks and she blew her nose again.

Amu and Utau were currently in Utau's living room watching The Bucket List. They were up to the part where Carter dies. So far, they had used up three boxes of tissues and had finished _lots_ of snacks. Empty snack bags were scattered around them.

Utau sniffled and stood up. "You want some popcorn?"

Amu nodded. "Yeah." Utau left the room to make the popcorn and Amu cried at every scene, whether or not it was sad. To her, every scene seemed sad. Both her and Utau had cried over the whole movie already. Amu grabbed more tissues and saw that the box was now empty. There went the fourth box. She found another box and tore it open.

"Here's the popcorn." Utau returned and put the bowl on the floor in between them. They ate and watched, crying at everything.

* * *

By the end of the movie, there were at least seven empty tissue boxes and snacks were now extinct in Utau's house. The two girls were still crying as the movie ended.

"That was -hic- so -hic- sad -hic-" Amu rubbed at her eyes. They were puffy and red now.

"Yeah," Utau agreed, blowing her nose one last time. "God, what a mess." The floor was covered with litter. "You want to help me clean up now or do it later?" She rubbed her puffy red eyes and sighed.

"Later," Amu sniffled. "I think we need some sleep."

Utau nodded in agreement. She laid down on the floor and closed her eyes. "Hey Amu?"

"Yeah?"

"... I'll miss you."

Amu smiled, but tears still spilled from her eyes. She was glad the lights were off or else she would make Utau cry again too. "Yeah..."


	4. Chapter 4

"So I made my own bucket list." Amu grinned and showed it to Utau. "Ta-da!" She knew every single thing she put down on the list. _Get a boyfriend, hold hands with him, have my first kiss, make Ami happy, help Papa, make Utau happy_, and a few others. And number one on her list was _confess to Ikuto._ She stared at Utau's face, waiting for a reaction. She was actually quite proud of her list, even if some of the things on it might seem a bit trivial.

"Hmm." Utau looked it over quickly before her eyes stopped on number one. _Confess to Ikuto._ She knew all the other numbers to do with boyfriends was meant to be with Ikuto. Amu obviously just didn't think that Ikuto would do all those things with her. Utau looked up at her friend's face and saw a contented look. She still didn't get how she was so okay with dying. If it was her she would probably have broken down already.

Amu sighed happily. "I want to complete at least half the list before I die…" She trailed off, staring out the window. "And then I want you to finish the rest for me." She smiled widely. "It'll be easy for you, with Kukai." She grinned at Utau's look.

Utau slapped Amu's arm playfully. "Well, I'm pretty sure you'll get a guy too."

Amu smiled. "Yeah, I hope so too." _Even though I only want Ikuto…_

"So… you're going to tell them today?" Utau finally asked. Amu had already said before that she was going to confess about her cancer to her dad and Ami. Utau knew how hard it would be for her. Amu valued her family and didn't want to hurt them. And she was especially worried about how Ami would take it.

Amu looked down at her hands. "Yeah… I guess I can't put it off any longer, can I?" She laughed lightly. "I just don't know how to tell them! Especially Ami. What can I say to her? I'm going off to join Mama? I'll make her cry…" Only a year had gone by since her mother's death, and sometimes at night Amu could still hear her little sister crying out for their mother. And she couldn't do anything about it. Now she was going to go too, and she knew it would definitely break Ami's heart.

Utau gave Amu a big hug. "I'm sorry to your mother, but I want to be greedy and keep you here longer." She sniffled. "Who else can I make fun of? Who else is going to ogle my brother like you? It'll be so lonely without you!"

"Jeez Utau, I'm still here. You make it sound like I'm dead already!" Amu tried to laugh, but she let some tears loose too.

And they started a whole new round of hugging tears.

* * *

"Bye Amu." Utau closed her door and sighed. _Good luck Amu…_ She turned around and nearly screamed in surprise when she saw her brother standing there. "Jeez Ikuto, way to give me a heart attack!" _Then I could die early and join Amu._ She mentally scolded herself for thinking that. She was supposed to be supportive right now, not suicidal.

Ikuto studied her face. "What's wrong lil sis? You look like you've been crying all night." He raised an eyebrow at her. Her eyes were still all puffy, and her crying with Amu earlier had definitely not helped that.

Utau gave a short laugh. "For your information, I _was_ crying all night." She paused. "And this morning too." She glared at her brother. "Don't _ever_ say that to a girl dear brother."

Ikuto rolled his eyes. "Well then sister, shall I offer you a shoulder to cry on?"

"Yes." Utau glared at him.

Ikuto raised an eyebrow at his sister. Usually by now she would pretend to ignore him. She would never actually answer one of his questions. "What's wrong?" Even though they often teased each other, in the end they still cared.

Utau hesitated. Should she do it? It _was_ something she knew Amu would want anyway. After thinking about it for a while, she decided to just go with it. "Listen… can you do me a favor?"

* * *

Amu looked up at her dad and little sister nervously. How was she supposed to tell them that she had cancer, the same thing that killed her mother? The word that must not be said? Especially to Ami. She twirled her fork around, stabbing at the food and moving it around her plate. Should she just go right out and say it? Or should she dodge around it and suggest it to them, making them guess it?

"Is something wrong Amu-chan?" Tsumugu, her father asked, looking at her. "Do you not like the food? I could make something else for you if you want."

Amu suddenly felt guilty. Her dad was trying to get them by without her mom, and it was obviously hard. He was doing a good job too. But she had to tell them sometime. Better sooner than later right? At least they wouldn't find out when she just died… "It's fine. But Papa? I have something I need to tell you guys." Tsumugu and Ami looked up at her, waiting for her to continue. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I… I…"

"You're not pregnant are you?" Tsumugu cried. "Oh no!"

Amu stared at him. "No, Papa. I'm not pregnant. I just…"

He smiled at her. "As long as you're not pregnant, it's fine." He took a bite of his food and looked up at her. "So what is it?"

Amu gripped the hem of her shirt. "I have cancer."

Silence. Both of them stopped eating and stared at her, their forks falling from their hands. Even Ami at age five knew what cancer was. It was the evil thing that took away their mother and was never going to give her back to them. It was the thing that left your body lifeless and cold.

"The thing that took Mommy away?" Ami's lip trembled. "No, no! I want onee-chan! Onee-chan can't leave!" Ami started crying. "I love onee-chan!"

"It's okay Ami," Amu said, trying to soothe her little sister. "Onee-chan isn't going anywhere." _At least, not for a while._

"How much time left?" Tsumugu asked quietly.

Amu looked down. "Five months."

He smiled at her. "We'll be here for you. And I'm sure Utau will be too." A couple tears escaped from his own eyes. "We have your back."

"Papa…" Amu jumped out of her seat and wrapped her arms around her father. Ami jumped up and hugged them too. _Please, let us stay happy like this for a while longer…_


	5. Chapter 5

Utau looked over nervously at Amu. When Amu looked up at her, she quickly looked down at her book. Would Amu be mad at her? She had been wondering ever since she'd asked Ikuto for that favor. _It's fine… there's a chance he won't do it anyway… Yeah, that's right, he's probably not going to._ Utau tried comforting herself, convincing herself that Ikuto wouldn't even do the favor for her. If he didn't do it, then there was nothing to worry about. No favor, no worry. Mhm. She glanced over at Amu, who was staring at her and looked away quickly. _There's absolutely nothing wrong. Yeah, nothing wrong._

"What's up, Utau?"

Utau jumped at the voice. "Nothing." She made sure to avoid eye contact no matter what. If she had eye contact with Amu, she was sure that she would break down and confess or do something stupid like that. She reassured herself that she was doing nothing wrong.

Amu looked suspiciously at Utau. What could she possibly have done? Did she tell Ikuto about the bucket list? Did she tell Ikuto that Amu had a crush on him? Or did she… no way. She wouldn't. There was no way Utau would tell Ikuto about the picture. "Y-you didn't tell him did you?" The guilty look on Utau's face gave her away. "Y-you told him a-about it didn't you? Utau, how am I going to face him!" She covered her face with her hands, cheeks burning up. It would be super humiliating if he found out. Some girl he barely knew had a secret picture of him. At least he didn't know what she did with it. She kissed it every night before going to sleep…

"Tell who?"

The voice made her eyes widen. _Crap._ "I-Ikuto!" _Please tell me he didn't hear!_ She quickly turned around though. He was probably there to see Utau either way. She looked over at Utau, who was reading and ignoring them both. She wished she could be half as calm as Utau around him, but then again Utau and Ikuto had known each other since birth. If only she didn't act like an idiot around him…

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Amu's eyes widened as she stared at the wall, her back facing Ikuto. Imagine if he was talking to her… But how did he not know that Utau was dating Kukai? Wasn't Kukai like Ikuto's best friend? He was Amu's brother figure.

"Amu." Arms wrapped around her, making her squeak. She was pulled backwards into a firm chest. "Do you have a boyfriend?" Ikuto blew into her ear.

Amu nearly died. _Ikuto is touching me. He's _touching_ me! Oh god. And he wants to know if I'm single!_ Her heart raced so fast. "N-n-no…" She wanted so badly to just snuggle into his arms and breathe in his scent. He smelled _so_ good. She wished she could take a picture of this moment to remember it forever. _Amu, calm yourself! You sound like a total perv!_

"Hmm, that's good." Ikuto released Amu, and she immediately felt lonely without his arms around her. "See you around, _Amu_."

Amu turned and watched as he left the room. Before he shut the door, he gave her a wave and she gave him a tiny wave back. She was left staring at the door and then she turned to Utau, a dreamy look on her face. "Utau pinch me!"

Utau raised an eyebrow at her.

"I-I must be dreaming…" Amu smiled widely. "He talked directly to me…" She winced as Utau pinched her and then smiled before flopping backwards onto the bed. "H-he talked to me…" It was the first time he talked to her without adding in someone else to the conversation. Maybe he only asked her a question, but he held her in his arms. And that was enough for her. "I could die happy now."

Utau glared at her. "Do _not_ say that." Seeing Amu happy like that made her not as guilty. Besides, she was just doing it to make her best friend happy. She had to do that as much as possible. They didn't have much time left together.

* * *

Amu stared at her ceiling in bliss. She was totally unconscious to her surroundings, only thinking and dreaming in her head. How could she not? She could still hear Ikuto's voice whispering in her ear. She could feel his arms pulling her closer to him. And she could still smell his scent… Amu closed her eyes and imagined Ikuto lying on her bed next to her. She turned on her side and wrapped her arms around 'Ikuto' where her blanket was conveniently lying.

Amu sighed and moved closer to him, pulling him closer. She inhaled and smiled, he smelled _so _good. That was one thing she was never going to get over. She felt his arms wrap around her too and smiled, snuggling closer to him. She felt brave and clutched his shirt with determination. "Ikuto I love you. I've loved you for a long time." She looked into his eyes and saw him smiling down at her. "Really _Amu_? Because I've loved you for a long time too." He leaned down a bit and their lips connected.

Amu's eyes opened slowly and she found her lips on her blanket, AKA her dream Ikuto. Her face turned red and she hid her face in her pillow. _W-what was that?_ Truthfully, she had those dreams pretty often, whenever she saw him. And when she woke up she was always embarrassed. She sighed and looked around her room.

Her whole room was blue, a dark blue, Ikuto's shade of blue. She had it done like this to remind herself of him so it would feel like he was always with her, even watching her when she slept. Everything in her room was blue, even though her favorite color was actually pink. Ikuto's blue came in a very close second. Even her blankets and pillows were dark blue.

Amu sighed and rolled over, wondering if she was too obsessed about Ikuto. She always thought about him… She screamed into her pillow. _Whatever Amu, just get some sleep..._ She stretched out and rolled over into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Hey… are you really going to do me the favor?" Utau watched her brother as he looked for something in the fridge and settled into a chair. She watched him, waiting as patiently as she could for an answer.

"What does it seem like?" Ikuto shut the fridge door and put a carton of chocolate ice cream on the table, grabbing a seat for himself. He opened it and took a big spoonful of the chocolate. He offered some to Utau, smirking.

"Ew, no." Utau gagged at the sight of the ice cream. "You know I hate chocolate." She waved it away and got up to get her own vanilla ice cream. Rummaging through the fridge for her vanilla, she wondered how her friend was doing. She sighed and grabbed the vanilla ice cream, setting down at the table again. "So…"

Ikuto looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "So?" He took one spoonful after another, keeping his eyes on Utau. "If you have something to say to me then just spit it out." He set down his ice cream and looked Utau in the eye. "It's about your friend isn't it?" He knew Utau cared for her a lot, but he didn't really get it. It's not like she had major problems, and she certainly wasn't dying. And here Utau was, making a big fuss about her. _They are best friends you know._

"Hmm…" Utau sighed. "Yeah, it is." She swirled her spoon around the ice cream, watching it melt. "Just don't…" She sighed, trying to find the right words. How could she tell him without telling him? He usually caught on quickly. "Just don't…"

Ikuto waved her away. "I got it. She's your best friend, blah blah blah. I know."

Utau bit her lip. "Yeah…" That wasn't really it, but he was agreeing to her terms. "And Ikuto?"

He looked up at his sister from his ice cream. "What?"

"You're such a flirt." She grinned, picking up her ice cream and spoon before retreating to her room. _Don't fail me, flirty brother,_ she silently added, closing her door behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

Amu walked down the empty hallway to her locker. It was unusually quiet, but she didn't care. It was actually quite peaceful without all the hallway shoving and noise. She hummed softly to herself.

Utau had already left to go home. Amu had stayed after a while to work on a project. She smiled softly, lost in her own thoughts. Ikuto had been talking to her more often ever since that time. And for whatever reason, she was happy.

A sharp pain in her side made her stop and lean against the lockers, breathing heavily. The pain came more often now. Probably a side effect of the cancer… She took a deep breath and tried to stand up again, but she leaned back against the lockers quickly. She was too tired. She breathed heavily and tried to regain her breath.

"Ikuto-kun, please go out with me!"

Amu froze. _What was that?_ She peeked around the corner and saw Ikuto with a girl. The girl was a pretty brunette and she was standing confidently in front of Ikuto. Amu's heart beat quickly. Was he going to accept her? She knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help it. She had to know. Amu crossed her fingers. _Please don't…_ She knew it was selfish of her, but she really loved him.

"Sorry, but there's someone I like already."

Amu fell onto her knees, all her energy evaporating. Those simple seven words had broken her heart. He already liked someone. And she was pretty sure that someone wasn't her. She trembled a bit. She wasn't sure what hurt more, her side or her heart. She watched them walk until they disappeared and stumbled over to her locker. She quickly shoved her books inside and walked home, the pain still there.

* * *

"Utau… does Ikuto have a girlfriend?" Amu twirled her pencil and looked down at her math homework, pushing it aside. Right now, that was the least of her worries. She bit her lip and waited for Utau to answer her. She wasn't sure what to expect.

"I honestly don't know. I mean, I don't think he has one. If he did, then I would probably know about her." Utau looked up at her best friend. "Why? Did something happen?" _Please don't tell me he screwed up already…_

"No…" Amu looked down at her book, drawing random circles on the page. "It's just… I was eavesdropping on him with this girl a few days ago." She dropped her pencil and looked up at Utau. "And she was confessing to him, but he rejected her. And… he said there was a girl that he already liked. But… I don't think that girl is me." Amu looked up hopefully at her best friend. She wasn't sure what to expect anymore.

"Really? He never talked to me about anything." Utau mentally slapped her brother. "He keeps all his relationship stuff to himself until the girl is his girlfriend." She saw Amu's face fall. "I'll try to find out for you okay?"

Amu shook her head. "No, it's fine." She gave Utau a weak smile. "If he hasn't noticed me for all those years, why would he notice me now? He probably doesn't like younger girls like me." She gave a fake laugh. "Let's just do our-" She didn't get to finish her sentence before she started choking for breath.

"Amu?" Utau stood up immediately and rushed over to her friend. "Amu! Are you okay?" It was the first time Amu had an attack in front of her. Utau watched as her friend gasped for breath and panicked. She had no idea what to do in these situations. "Oh my god…" She helped Amu sit up on the floor and ran out to get her brother. "Ikuto! Ikuto!" She ran down the hall as fast as she could to her brother's room.

Ikuto was in his room, lying on his bed contentedly, when Utau burst in. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes like a cat. "Jeez, what is it Utau." He rolled his eyes at her panicked expression. "You look like someone's about to die."

"A-Amu!" Utau ran over to him and grabbed his hand. "Come on!"

"Jeez, what's wrong Utau?" Ikuto followed his sister down the hall to her room and mentally cursed himself for not locking his bedroom door. He could still be cat napping right now if he hadn't forgotten to. "What happened to her?"

"She's dying, okay? Just shut up and hurry!" Utau gripped his hand so hard and threw open the door to her room. Amu was on the floor unconscious. She rushed over to her best friend. "Oh god! Amu!"

* * *

_"Just a little more… you can open your eyes now." The hands in front of her eyes slowly slid back._

_Amu opened her eyes and gasped at the pretty sight in front of her. They were standing on a hill, and just in front of them was the setting sun. A classical romantic scene between couples. "It's so pretty…" He took her hand and led her over to sit down on the soft grass. He held her hand and she slowly let her head rest on his shoulder._

_"I've always wanted to come here with you," he confided, squeezing her hand._

_Amu smiled up at her lover and kissed his cheek. She could stay there with him forever…_

"-mu! Amu!"

Amu opened her eyes slowly, her romantic moment with Ikuto on the hilltop destroyed. She wanted to go back to dreamland to be with Ikuto again, but she forced her eyes to open. Blue. Lots of blue. Endless pools of blue. Like Ikuto's eyes… She reached out and placed her head on some of the blue. It was soft under her hand, like cat fur. She rubbed it softly, still in a daze. She loved the feel of it on her hand.

"Oh jeez, Amu! You scared us so bad!"

Amu snapped back to reality and looked up to find Utau talking to her and her hand on… Ikuto's head. She had been patting his hair the whole time. She blushed at how close they were and withdrew her hand quickly. "Sorry."

Utau huffed. "I'll go get you something to drink." She got up before Amu could protest and left the room.

Leaving only Amu and Ikuto together. Alone.

Amu played with her fingers, watching him from the corner of her eye. Just sitting next to him made her heart flutter happily. _Stop it Amu, he already likes a girl. You have to get over him, and this isn't going to help._ She forced herself to look away from him.

"Hey Amu."

She turned her head slowly to look at him. She wanted so badly to sit closer to him, to hug him and pet his hair again. But she couldn't because she wasn't the girl he wanted. "Yeah?" She tried to calm down her racing heart, but failed.

Ikuto wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He pressed her face into his chest. "Don't scare me like that." He ran his hand through her hair, holding some of it in his hand. "I was so worried about you."

Amu was so happy her face was against his chest. Her face was burning up. He really did care for her. Her heart was racing so quickly and she swore she was going to die from a heart attack instead of cancer. She slowly reached up to wrap her arms around him, but just as she was going to hold him, he released her and half shoved her away. Amu looked down and moved away from him. She knew it. Even if he cared for her, it was probably only because she was Utau's best friend. He probably only looked at her as a little sister.

"I found some drinks!" Utau stood at her doorway and looked at her best friend and brother. Amu looked up at her and gave a halfhearted smile. Utau could immediately tell that something was wrong. She looked over at Ikuto for a hint, but he just shrugged back at her. _Jeez, Ikuto! I was only gone for two seconds!_ She gave her brother a glare and gestured at Amu with her eyes. Amu was looking everywhere but in Ikuto's direction.

There was an awkward atmosphere and no one was talking. Utau glared at Ikuto as he sat lazily, leaning against her bed. And Amu was faking her homework, trying to do anything to avoid looking at Ikuto.

Utau cleared her throat. "Anyone want to explain to me what happened?" She stared directly at Ikuto, who just shrugged at her in response. She looked over at Amu, who seemed to scribble even harder at her paper. "Amu… any harder and you're going to tear apart the paper."

Amu blinked back her tears and scribbled even harder. Like Utau predicted, the paper tore. Amu blinked at the torn piece of paper and crumbled it up in her fists. She didn't really get why she was so upset. So Ikuto didn't like her. So what? There were plenty of other guys out there, all waiting for her. _But I don't want any other guy. Just Ikuto…_ Four years of loving someone didn't just evaporate when you wanted it to. She never realized that tears had started running down her cheeks.

"Amu? Are you okay?" Utau looked up at her best friend and the torn piece of paper. Amu just nodded and clenched her fists tighter around the piece of paper. "Then why are you crying?" She looked over at Ikuto for help, but his eyes were closed. _Idiot…_

"I-I'm not c-crying." Amu wiped at her cheeks and realized that Utau was right. She quickly wiped her eyes and sniffled. "J-just allergies." She got up and released the paper from her tight grip. "I'm going home. I don't feel well. Bye." She ran out of the room and didn't look back.


	7. Chapter 7

"And that's how you get the answer."

Amu stared at the numbers on the board that seemed to be swimming around. Hmm. She just blinked at them while the rest of the class nodded their heads in comprehension. Amu tilted her head a bit and blinked at the numbers again, none of it registering in her mind. She twirled her pencil, not noticing when it flew out of her hand and hit the girl in front of her, or when the girl turned around to glare and threw the pencil on her desk. Amu sighed and stared out the window, her eyes scanning for anything familiar.

Out of the corner of her eye, Amu spotted something blue. Ikuto's blue. She quickly turned her head all the way to see what the patch of blue was. Her eyes searched for it, but whatever it was, it was gone. She bit her lip in disappointment and turned around dejectedly. She picked up her pencil and doodled all over her page until she lost concentration. She couldn't do anything, couldn't focus on anything. Her mind was in other places… places named Ikuto.

"Hinamori-san."

Amu looked up slowly and looked at her teacher, Nikaidou. "Yes sensei?" She inwardly sighed, prepared for the please-pay-attention-or-else lecture. She really didn't want to deal right now. Her mind was all over the place and she didn't feel well.

Nikaidou looked at Amu for a second before giving out a sigh. "Please try and pay attention Hinamori-san. There are only ten minutes left of class either way." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Please see me after class." He turned back to the board and started talking again.

Amu sighed and tried her best to listen. What did he want to talk to her about anyway? She glanced over at the clock and sighed in relief when she saw that there were only two minutes left of class. She felt oddly spacy lately. She closed her eyes and tried to relax herself.

"Hinamori-san."

Amu looked up and saw Nikaidou. She looked around and noticed that the room was empty. The bell must had rung while she was not paying attention again. "Yes sensei?" She hoped this was going to be a short conversation. She was supposed to meet up with Utau.

Nikaidou sighed. "Hinamori Amu. Your father told me about your… condition." He looked at her waiting for a reaction. When he got none he readjusted his glasses. "Your… cancer." He studied Amu's face for a reaction but found none. "I understand what situation you're in, but you can't let it affect your education. I've noticed you spacing out a lot lately. If it hurts you can go to the nurse, but you have to pay attention either way, okay? I know you're a good kid Amu." He gave a tiny smile. "I just wanted you to know this. You can go now."

Amu gave a tiny smile. "Thanks sensei." She got up and walked towards the door, hoping that Utau wasn't mad at her.

* * *

"Hinamori Amu. You are late." Utau had her hands on her hips and she did not look happy. Her expression suddenly softened. "Sorry." She had forgotten that Amu had cancer for a moment. "Did… did something happen?"

Amu sighed, knowing that Utau probably thought she had another attack. "No… I just had to stay after class to talk to Nikaidou-sensei, that's all." Utau gave a sympathetic smile and moved aside for Amu to enter the house. Amu walked inside and walked into the kitchen, taking a seat. She stretched and sighed. She felt oddly tired, maybe something to do with the cancer? Whatever it was, she didn't feel so well.

"So Amu, what did he want to talk to you about?" Utau asked, walking into the room. She walked to her fridge and opened it, looking around inside for snacks.

"Huh?" Amu looked up at Utau. "Who?"

Utau gave Amu a weird look. "Nikaidou-sensei. You said he wanted to talk to you about something." She grabbed random snacks, a tub of ice cream, and strawberry milk out of the fridge and walked over to the table, setting them down.

"Oh… right." Amu took the strawberry milk and popped the lid off. "Well… papa told him about the cancer." She looked up at Utau and took a sip of the milk, her favorite. "Basically, he meant that I've been spacy lately. And he thinks it's the cancer, but he doesn't want it to affect my education or something like that."

Utau studied Amu's face. "But it's not the cancer is it. It's… Ikuto?" By the look on Amu's face, she could see that she was right. _What's taking him so long either way?_ Utau sighed. "Well… do you think you've made progress with him?" _If not, then he probably screwed up already._

Amu looked up. "Yeah… we did." She bit her lip. After that day at Utau's house, he had distanced himself from her again. And she had no idea why. He didn't even bother to acknowledge her in school anymore. He used to give her a wave, a nod, a small smile or smirk. And now, there was nothing. "H-he was nicer to me for a while… and after that day nothing else." She sighed, upset. "Do you think I should just give up on him? I mean… he's never noticed me. I could always go out with someone else."

"Like who, Tadase?" Utau mumbled, sarcastic. Tadase had a huge crush on Amu and it was totally obvious. There were other girls who liked him, but he still only liked Amu. And Utau had no idea why, not that Amu was a horrible person or anything. And for some reason, Utau just didn't like Tadase. She would much rather her best friend be with her brother, even if he was a jerk sometimes.

"What's wrong with Tadase?" Amu twirled around her bottled of finished milk. "He's a nice guy." _And at least he knows I'm alive… and he talks to me, and he does things that Ikuto would never do for me._

Utau sighed. "I'm nice, but I don't see you falling for me." She noticed Amu's glare. "Kidding, kidding." _That stupid Ikuto has to hurry before she makes the wrong choice and goes to Tadase._ "Well… do you really want to go to Tadase? I mean, it's not fair to him that you're only using him to forget about Ikuto. Utau crossed her fingers, hoping that would guilt Amu into not choosing Tadase over her brother.

Amu frowned. She hadn't thought about it that way before. "But…" She bit her lip. "I don't know how to say this, but… I don't want to be hung over him anymore. He doesn't notice me and only talks to me when he feels like it, which is close to never. And he can make me so happy, but he just doesn't. He… doesn't care for me. Not like how I want him to. I'm tired of wanting him and watching him not want me. I don't want it to be like that anymore. I want to move on."

Utau clenched her fists around her ice cream. Stupid, stupid Ikuto. She was trying to help him, trying to help her best friend. And in the end he only hurts her even more. Now what was she supposed to do? "Why don't you give him a while?"

"I did. I gave him plenty of years. And now, I don't want him anymore. I mean, I do, but… I don't know what I want anymore. I just don't want to want him when he doesn't want me." Amu grabbed the bottle. "I'm gonna go dump this out." She got up from her seat and shuffled toward the door.

Utau sighed. That meant Amu needed time to think by herself, since there was obviously a garbage can in the kitchen. She looked at the door, praying silently to herself that Amu would give Ikuto a bit more time. That meant she had more time to plan this out.

* * *

"Stupid Ikuto…" Amu mumbled to herself, wandering into the hall. If he just liked her back, none of this would happen. But then that would be greedy of her. "Stupid selfish Amu… why did you choose him over everyone else?" Why did she like him anyway? She just always had… "Why can't Ikuto noticed my feelings for him?"

She walked into the living room and walked toward the garbage can. She dumped in the bottle, but then collapsed. Her chest felt numb and her heart was pounding. And she was breathing heavily. _Great, just my day. First I get called out by the teacher and then I collapse just when I wanted to think by myself._ She grabbed onto the wall and tried to haul herself up.

Somehow, she managed to stand and slowly made her way back to Utau, feeling dizzy. _Please just let me make it to Utau…_

And then all she saw was black.

* * *

"Amu. Amu, you dumb girl."

"Hey… watch it. I'm plenty smart." Amu mumbled, rolling over in the bed. She groaned, her head was pounding. She opened her eyes slowly and sat up, trying to register what she was seeing. A lot of blue and some black. That definitely did not look like Utau's room. Her wandering eyes met Ikuto's. And then it all clicked. _I'm in Ikuto's room. On Ikuto's bed. Alone with Ikuto._ Her eyes widened slightly when she realized that.

"Yeah, you're really smart. Walking out on Utau when you didn't feel well. You're lucky I caught you before you banged your head on the floor." Ikuto walked over to her from his spot by the door and sat down on his bed opposite her. "So how do you feel?"

"Great." And she wasn't even lying. She felt great sitting next to him in his room. This was her first time in his room, the first time she had ever even seen the inside of it. And it was probably the last time too. She looked over at Ikuto, waiting for him to say something. Minutes passed by without him saying anything to her, and he wouldn't even look at her. Amu's heart sank in disappointment. He was only worried about her when she was in trouble. But he didn't really like her, did he. She had thought about giving him more time, but now, she didn't want to anymore. He had enough time. She could have been his girl by now if he had really wanted her.

"Amu? Where are you?"

Amu looked over at the door and back at Ikuto. She really wanted to stay with him, and just tell him how she felt about him. But… would he even care? Amu bit her lip and made up her mind. She slowly got up.

Feeling the shift of weight on the bed, Ikuto looked up to find Amu going. "Hey, where are you going."

Amu froze at the sound of his voice. _Does he possibly… want me to stay with him?_ She turned around to face him. "Out. To Utau." She crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping that he would ask her to stay. _Stop it Amu. This is why you always get hurt. You give yourself false hope. Just stop it now._ She slowly dropped her hands to her sides, waiting for him to say something, anything. Yet, he still said nothing. Only silence greeted her. She blinked and watched him, waiting for him to just acknowledge her.

"What are you waiting for?" Ikuto's voice cut through the silence. "Aren't you her friend?"

Amu opened her mouth, but no sound came out. He didn't want her with him. And she was, apparently, not his friend either. Tears unwillingly streamed down her face. So this was what he thought of her after all, after all those years. She wasn't even a friend to him. She wasn't _anything_ to him. Just a random little girl who happened to be his sister's best friend, period. That's all she was to him. "Y-you know… I really liked you." Amu swallowed the lump in her throat and watched him. His back was still to her, and he didn't turn around. "I really, really loved you. But you know what? Not anymore. Starting right now, I don't know you anymore. I'll never spend hours thinking about you ever again." She turned around and made her way to the door.

"Wait, Amu."

She didn't care anymore. She kept on walking. If this was just a couple minutes ago, she would have turned around, happy that he was calling her name. She would have slaved for him, done anything to just be with him a while longer. But she wasn't that fool anymore. She had wasted years when she could have had real love by now. She kept walking, ignoring him.

"Amu."

She wasn't going to fall for it anymore.

"Amu, _stop_."

Arms wrapped around her waist. For a moment, she stood there, happy to be in his embrace. But then she tried to get him off her. He didn't love her. Why did he always confuse her like this? Tears streamed down her cheeks even faster. He was always playing with her heart. "Stop playing with me." She struggled against him. _Stop it. Stop trying to make me fall for you again._ She already felt like a fool for confessing to him just now. "Let me go!" She was surprised when he did, but then he cornered her at the wall. Amu felt trapped. His arms were on either side of her head, there was no place to run.

"Amu."

She refused to look at him.

"Amu. Look at me."

No. She wasn't a dog.

"_Amu_. Why are you making this so hard?"

She gave in and glared at him with as much anger as she could. It was hard, especially while staring into his eyes, but she forced herself not to give in to him. Not again. She flinched when she felt him wiping her cheek.

"Amu. Be my girl."


	8. Chapter 8

Amu felt like flying. She was high, ecstatic. She could do just about anything because her dream had come true. Ikuto had asked her out. Amu felt her cheeks heating up and instantly brought her hands there to cover it up, not like there was anyone there to see it. She felt a smile spreading across her face. If she had been in public, people would have probably called the mental asylum on her. She giggled and looked out the window.

_Amu. Be my girl._

Amu blushed and hugged her knees close. She had been so happy when he said that to her. She had always imagined it being like that, both of them confessing their love to each other. She let out a happy sigh and banged her head with a cushion.

Tsumugu watched his daughter from the side, with Ami. "Ami-chan? What's wrong with Amu-chan?" He looked back over at Amu, who had a huge grin on her face and was slapping at her cheeks. He had never seen his daughter like this before.

Ami looked up at her father questioningly. "Onee-chan?" Ami tilted her head to the side and looked at her sister, who was staring out the window with a longing look. Ami turned to her father and grinned. "I love onee-chan!"

Amu, who was unaware of her family talking about her, couldn't resist the urge to see Ikuto. She had been bouncing around all day, wanting to see him. She couldn't remember what she had said to him, and she didn't want him to get the wrong idea. She wanted to see him and tell him that of course she wanted to be his girl. Amu bit her lip, trying to think up an excuse to see him. _I'm going over to see Utau! _Amu grinned and jumped out of her seat, pumping her fist in the air. "I'm going out to Utau's house for a while Papa!" She ran out the door.

Tsumugu and Ami stared after her, wondering what was going on.

* * *

Amu stood in front of Utau's house. She had never been so nervous before. She stood there, finger hovering over the bell, not sure if she should ring it or not. _What if he answers the door instead?_ Amu bit her lip and put her hand down. If he answered the door, she was so sure she wouldn't be able to face him yet. She was there to talk to Utau first, then confess to him again. _Just do it Amu! Guts!_ She lifted her hand and pressed down on the bell. It took all the courage that she had to not turn around and run home.

_Ding dong!_

Amu heard the bell echo throughout the rather big house and waited patiently for someone, anyone, to answer. She was too nervous to realize that a couple minutes had gone by without anyone answering the door. She just continued to stare at the door until she realized that someone should have answered by now. She tried the bell again, but no one answered.

Amu blinked dumbly at the door. _Everyone's out…_ She wanted to bang her head repeatedly on the door. She had been so eager to get there, and then so nervous, just to find out that no one was home. _Nice going Amu._ She sighed and looked around. She could probably wait there for someone, but who knew how long that would take. Amu reluctantly walked away from the door, not really wanting to leave.

_Now what?_ Amu looked up at the sky and sighed. It was a nice day out… _Maybe I should just take a walk…_ She sighed and stuffed her hands into her pockets, dejected. _When should I go back and check?_ Amu kicked at the floor and bit her lip. Just when she had enough courage to confront him too. Jeez, her luck seriously sucked these days.

Amu looked up and saw herself in front of a park. Or more specially, the park where she had first met Ikuto. Amu smiled and hurried over to the swings, sitting down on one. This was the exact place where she had met Ikuto a few years back.

* * *

Five years ago was when her mother, Midori had died. And a year after that, her father had decided they needed to move away from all the bad memories there. Everything reminded the family of Midori, and Tsumugu had decided that it was time for a fresh start.

And one day at the dinner table, he had announced that they were moving to a place called Seiyo, that was a long way from where they lived at the time. They had to pack in a week and go.

The Hinamori sisters didn't protest. They were upset too, and they both didn't want their father to be even more brokenhearted. They accepted the news quietly. As long as they were all together as a family, it was all okay.

But after moving to Seiyo, Amu had stayed up every night. She missed her old home, her old friends who she had begun to drift away from even before the move, and most of all she missed her mother. She didn't know anyone at Seiyo, and she felt so left out. The new school that she went to was so different, and she felt so out of place there.

One day she had wandered out of the house and found the park. She sat on one of the swings and swung herself, trying her best not to look at the other kids around her who had two living parents. She was jealous of them all, and she wished she could go back in time. And then the rain and cold came. She had only come out in a t-shirt and jeans, unprepared for the wet and cold.

As soon as the rain came down, everyone immediately ran off for shelter. Everyone but Amu.

Amu loved parks, and she loved swings. She always used to go there as a little girl, with Ami, Papa, and Mama. They used to swing the two sisters and they would laugh. But that was on sunny days, back then when the family was still intact and everyone was still happy.

And in the rain, Amu finally broke down. She couldn't be a strong girl anymore, and it hurt. She cried in the rain, her sobs breaking through the soft pit-pat of the rain. She stayed there for hours, just crying. She was drenched and cold, but she didn't care. The rain poured down on her heavily, there wasn't a single part of her that was not wet.

And then it wasn't wet anymore. She had looked up through her tears and saw a boy there, holding an umbrella above her. He had nice blue eyes and messy blue hair. They just stared at each other for a moment, before he spoke his first words to her.

"You're gonna get a cold if you stay here any longer."

* * *

Amu sighed contentedly. She had spent a long time searching for that stranger, and finally found him. Ikuto, her prince charming. Amu stood up determinedly from the swing. She had found him, and now that he could be hers, she wasn't going to give him up. _I'm coming Ikuto!_ She ran from the park, hoping that he was home. She needed to tell him that she loved him again. She had waited so long, and now that she had the chance to have him, she had to grasp it.

Standing in front of the Tsukiyomi residence, Amu took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. After what seemed like forever, Utau opened the door. Amu smiled at her best friend. Even though Utau wasn't the person she wanted to see most at the moment, she had hoped to see Utau before talking to Ikuto again.

"Amu?" Utau looked at her friend, who seemed overexcited. "What are you doing here?" When she realized how that sounded, she quickly added, "Not that I don't want to see you or anything."

Amu smiled widely. "Um… is Ikuto home right now?" A blush spread across her cheeks as her eyes darted past Utau into the house, her eyes looking for any blue that indicated Ikuto was home.

Utau shifted from her spot. She wasn't sure what to do. She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "I think so… but he's probably busy right now. So, uh, why don't we have a talk first?"

Amu felt disappointed, but nodded. She followed Utau into the house and up the stairs to Utau's room. She sat down on the bed, waiting for Utau to come join her.

"So, uh, what did you want to see him for?" Utau couldn't help but feel nervous. She had been dreading this since yesterday, hoping that Amu wouldn't bring it up. But knowing Amu, who was obsessed with Ikuto, she should have known.

"W-well…" Amu smiled widely. "W-we talked yesterday, right? And I don't know what happened but I woke up in his room. And I told him that I loved him. And he asked me out." Amu's face turned red.

"And what did you say?" Utau avoided looking at Amu and felt guilt building up in her. She already knew the answer anyway. Utau took a peek at Amu and instantly regretted it. The dreamy look in her eyes just built up more guilt inside her.

"I didn't answer… s-so that's why I came today." Amu blushed and played with her fingers. "I… I want to tell him that I love him again. I really do want to be his girlfriend…"

"Hey Utau!"

Ikuto's voice rang outside Utau's door. Amu's head shot up as Utau's heart sank.

"H-he's here!" Amu squeaked, sitting up on her knees immediately. "I-I should go tell him now shouldn't I?" Amu covered her cheeks with her hands. "I-um…" Her eyes widened. "W-what should I say?"

"Amu…"

"S-should I just go right out and say it?" Amu looked at the door. "Ah, yeah!" She quickly got up and started walking towards the door.

"Wait, Amu!"

Amu blinked and turned to her best friend. "Yeah?" She walked back over to Utau and looked at the door longingly. She wanted to run outside to Ikuto and just jump into his arms.

"The truth is…" Utau looked away from her best friend. How was she supposed to say it without hurting her? Either way, Amu would be hurt and upset again. "I… I found you when you collapsed yesterday. Not Ikuto. You… were never in his room."

Amu stared at Utau in confusion. "What? If I wasn't in his room then how-" Suddenly, it hit her. If she was never in his room in the first place, then the thing Utau was trying to say was…

"It was just a dream."


End file.
